Method and system for boosting power supply

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments of the present technology provide methods for boosting a voltage differential of an energy storage by using a boost component, determining a server system being switched to a boost mode, and discharging the energy storage to provide additional power supplies to the server system during the boost mode. In some embodiments, processing demands of a server system can be monitored. In response to determining that a boost mode is needed to support processing demands of the server system or detecting a component being a bottleneck in processing pipelines of the server system, a boost activation signal can be generated. The boost activation signal can cause a CPU, the bottleneck component, or another component of the server system to operate under a higher clock speed such that a higher processing capacity can be achieved.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates generally to server systems in atelecommunications network.

BACKGROUND

Modern server farms or datacenters typically employ a large number ofservers to handle processing needs for a variety of applicationservices. Each server handles various operations and requires a certainlevel of processing capacity to handle these operations.

However, processing requirements on a particular server may vary fromtime to time. Sometimes, central processing units (CPUs) on theparticular server may be temporarily overclocked to handle a burst ofprocessing demands. During the overclocking, the CPUs may demandadditional power from power supplies of the particular server. Thus,there is a need to provide a system and method for temporarily boostingpower supplies to satisfy the additional power demand from the CPUs.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent technology provide a solution to the above-mentioned problems bystoring electrical energy in an energy storage (e.g., one or more buffercapacitors, one or more batteries, or a combination thereof) to supporta boost mode of a server system. More specifically, various embodimentsof the present technology provide methods for boosting a voltagedifferential of an energy storage by using a boost component,determining a server system being switched to a boost mode, anddischarging the energy storage to provide additional power supplies tothe server system during the boost mode.

In some embodiments, one or more components of the server system can runat a higher clock speed for a short period of time during a boost mode.For example, a central processing unit (CPU) of the server system canoperate at a higher clock speed during the boost mode, which may causethe CPU to consume more power and produce more heat.

In some embodiments, processing demands of a server system can bemonitored. In response to determining that a boost mode is needed tosupport processing demands of the server system or detecting abottleneck component in processing pipelines of the server system, aboost activation signal can be generated. In some implementations, theboost activation signal can be analog, digital, or a combination ofboth. The boost activation signal can cause a CPU, the bottleneckcomponent, or another component of the server system to operate under ahigher clock speed such that a higher processing capacity can beachieved.

In some embodiments, a boost activation signal can cause an energystorage to supply stored electrical energy to other components of theserver system. In some implementations, supplying stored electricalenergy can cause a voltage differential over the energy storage to bereduced from a first voltage to a second voltage. In response to a boostmode of the server system being ended, the energy storage can berecharged by a power supply unit (PSU) of the server system.

In some embodiments, two or more boost modes can be provided on theserver system to balance power consumptions and computation speeds ofthe server system in a specific boost mode. For example, one specificboost mode can last longer but provide less computation speeds andconsume less powers comparing with those of another boost mode. In someembodiments, a maximum time period of a specific boost mode can be apredetermined period of time or determined by at least one of a maximumperiod of time that a CPU of the server system is capable of operatingunder a higher current, a discharging time period of the energy storage,or detecting an over-temperature condition.

Some embodiments determine a status of one or more processors of aserver system and, in response to detecting that the one or moreprocessors enter a boost mode or consume power exceeding a thresholdpower value, generate a processor hot signal. In some embodiments, aprocessor hot signal is generated only when the one or more processorsconsume power exceeding the threshold power value over a predeterminedperiod of time. The processor hot signal can cause additional cooling tobe applied to at least one of the one or more processors, memory, orother components of the server system. In some implementations,additional cooling may include supply more power to cooling components,such as cooling fans, or liquid cooling pumps.

In some embodiments, the processor hot signal can activate a CPU thermalcontrol circuit that is configured to protect processors and othercircuit components of the server system against excessive temperatures.In some implementations, the thermal control circuit can cause power tothe processor or other components of the server system to be reduced orcompletely removed in response to detecting an excessive temperature ora temperature exceeding a high threshold temperature, respectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a moreparticular description of the principles briefly described above will berendered by reference to specific examples thereof which are illustratedin the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict onlyexample aspects of the disclosure and are not therefore to be consideredto be limiting of its scope, the principles herein are described andexplained with additional specificity and detail through the use of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic block diagram of an exemplary serversystem containing a boost component and energy storage in accordancewith an implementation of the present technology;

FIG. 1B demonstrates example waveforms of boosting power supplies of aserver system in accordance with implementations of the presenttechnology;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method of boosting power supplies of aserver system in accordance with an implementation of the presenttechnology;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary computing device in accordance withvarious implementations of the technology; and

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary systems in accordance with variousembodiments of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the present technology provide systems andmethods for providing additional power supplies in a server system byusing a energy storage. The energy storage can be charged by increasinga voltage differential of the energy storage by using a boost componentin the server system. In some embodiments, a status of one or moreprocessors of a server system can be monitored. In response to detectingthat the one or more processors demand a burst of power supply exceedinga threshold high value provided by a power supply unit (PSU) of theserver system, a boost activation signal can be generated. The boostactivation signal can cause a voltage differential over a energy storageto be reduced from a first voltage to a second voltage, which allows theenergy storage to supply stored electrical energy to other components ofthe server system.

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic block diagram of an exemplary serversystem 100 containing a boost component and energy storage in accordancewith an implementation of the present technology. In this example, theserver system 100 comprises at least one microprocessor or CPU 110connected to a cache 111, one or more cooling components 112, a mainmemory 180, at least one power supply unit (PSU) 120 that receives an ACpower supply 120 and provides power to the server system 100, a boostcomponent 122, a CPU VR 123, and an energy storage 124 (e.g., a buffercapacitor). The CPU VR 123 is configured to regulate an output voltageof the boost component 122 to supply power to components (e.g., the CPU110) of the server system 100.

The boost component 122 is configured to boost an output voltage of thePSU 120 to a higher voltage (e.g., from 12V to 48V). The energy storage124 is capable of storing a comparatively large amount of electricalenergy at a relatively low voltage (e.g., 48V) or low current. Theamount of electrical energy stored in the energy storage 124 can supportadditional power demands from components of the server system 100 duringa boost mode over a predetermined period of time.

The at least one PSU 120 is configured to supply powers to variouscomponent of the server system 100, such as the CPU 110, cache 111, NBlogic 130, PCIe slots 160, Memory 180, SB logic 140, ISA slots 150, PCIslots 170, UPS 121 and controller 151. After being powered on, theserver system 100 is configured to load software application frommemory, computer storage device, or an external storage device toperform various operations.

The main memory 180 can be coupled to the CPU 110 via a north bridge(NB) logic 130. A memory control module (not shown) can be used tocontrol operations of the memory 180 by asserting necessary controlsignals during memory operations. The main memory 180 may include, butis not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), double data rateDRAM (DDR DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or other types of suitable memory.

In some implementations, the CPU 110 can be multi-core processors, eachof which is coupled together through a CPU bus connected to the NB logic130. In some implementations, the NB logic 130 can be integrated intothe CPU 110. The NB logic 130 can also be connected to a plurality ofperipheral component interconnect express (PCIe) ports 160 and a southbridge (SB) logic 140. The plurality of PCIe ports 160 can be used forconnections and buses such as PCI Express x1, USB 2.0, SMBus, SIM card,future extension for another PCIe lane, 1.5 V and 3.3 V power, and wiresto diagnostics LEDs on the server's chassis.

In this example, the NB logic 130 and the SB logic 140 are connected bya peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Bus 135. The PCI Bus 135 cansupport function on the CPU 110 but in a standardized format that isindependent of any of CPU's native buses. The PCI Bus 135 can be furtherconnected to a plurality of PCI slots 170 (e.g., a PCI slot 171).Devices connect to the PCI Bus 135 may appear to a bus controller (notshown) to be connected directly to a CPU bus, assigned addresses in theCPU 110's address space, and synchronized to a single bus clock. PCIcards can be used in the plurality of PCI slots 170 include, but are notlimited to, network interface cards (NICs), sound cards, modems, TVtuner cards, disk controllers, video cards, small computer systeminterface (SCSI) adapters, and personal computer memory cardinternational association (PCMCIA) cards.

The SB logic 140 can couple the PCI bus 135 to a plurality of expansioncards or slots 150 (e.g., an ISA slot 152) via an expansion bus. Theexpansion bus can be a bus used for communications between the SB logic140 and peripheral devices, and may include, but is not limited to, anindustry standard architecture (ISA) bus, PC/104 bus, low pin count bus,extended ISA (EISA) bus, universal serial bus (USB), integrated driveelectronics (IDE) bus, or any other suitable bus that can be used fordata communications for peripheral devices.

In the example, the SB logic 140 is further coupled to a controller 151that is connected to the at least one PSU 120. In some implementations,the controller 151 can be a baseboard management controller (BMC), rackmanagement controller (RMC), a keyboard controller, or any othersuitable type of system controller. The controller 151 is configured tocontrol operations of the at least one PSU 120 and/or other applicableoperations. In some implementations, the controller 151 is configured tomonitor processing demands, and components and/or connection status ofthe server system 100.

In this example, the controller 151 includes a boost activation module1511. Some implementations enable the boost activation module 1511 tomonitor processing demands of the server system 100 and determinewhether a boost mode is needed to support the processing demands. Insome embodiments, the boost activation module 1511 can also monitorperformance of components in processing pipelines of the server systems100 to determine whether any component of the processing pipelines is abottleneck of overall performance of the server system 100. In responseto determining a boost mode is needed, a boost activation signal can begenerated. The boost activation signal can cause the CPU 110, thebottleneck component, or another component of the server system 100 tooperate under a higher clock speed such that a higher processingcapacity can be achieved in the server system 100.

Although only certain components are shown within the server system 100in FIG. 1A, various types of electronic or computing components that arecapable of processing or storing data, or receiving or transmittingsignals can also be included in server system 100. Further, theelectronic or computing components in the server system 100 can beconfigured to execute various types of application and/or can usevarious types of operating systems. These operating systems can include,but are not limited to, Android, Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD),iPhone OS (iOS), Linux, OS X, Unix-like Real-time Operating System(e.g., QNX), Microsoft Windows, Window Phone, and IBM z/OS.

Depending on the desired implementation for the server system 100, avariety of networking and messaging protocols can be used, including butnot limited to TCP/IP, open systems interconnection (OSI), file transferprotocol (FTP), universal plug and play (UpnP), network file system(NFS), common internet file system (CIFS), AppleTalk etc. As would beappreciated by those skilled in the art, the server system 100illustrated in FIG. 1A is used for purposes of explanation. Therefore, anetwork system can be implemented with many variations, as appropriate,yet still provide a configuration of network platform in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present technology.

In exemplary configuration of FIG. 1A, the server system 100 can alsoinclude one or more wireless components operable to communicate with oneor more electronic devices within a computing range of the particularwireless channel. The wireless channel can be any appropriate channelused to enable devices to communicate wirelessly, such as Bluetooth,cellular, NFC, or Wi-Fi channels. It should be understood that thedevice can have one or more conventional wired communicationsconnections, as known in the art. Various other elements and/orcombinations are possible as well within the scope of variousembodiments.

FIG. 1B demonstrates example waveforms of boosting power supplies of aserver system in accordance with implementations of the presenttechnology. In this example, processing components of a server systemhas a current Iop under a normal operation, as shown in a waveform 131.At time t1, in response to an increased processing demand, the operatingcurrent of the processing components starts to ramp up.

At time t2, the operating current of the processing components reaches athreshold high value Ipsu, which is a maximum current that a powersupply unit (PSU) of the server system can provide. A determination canbe made whether to switch the server system to a boost mode. In responseto determining that the boost mode is required to support processingdemands of the server system, a boost activation signal can be switchedfrom high to low, as shown in a waveform 132. The boost activationsignal can cause the energy storage to discharged and supply storedelectrical energy to the processing components (e.g., a CPU) of theserver system. In some implementations, the discharged energy storagecan cause a voltage differential over an energy storage of the serversystem to be ramped down from a first voltage to a second voltage, asshown in a waveform 134. The first voltage (e.g., 48V) can besubstantial larger than the second voltage (e.g., 12V).

From time t2 to time t3, the operating current of the processingcomponents can ramp up from the threshold high value Ipsu to a maximumoperating current Ipmax and stay at the maximum operating current Ipmaxfor a predetermined period of time (i.e., from time t3 to time t4). Themaximum operating current Ipmax includes currents supplied by the PSU ofthe server system and a capacitor current from the energy storage. Attime t3, the capacitor current reaches a maximum discharging current Id,as shown in a waveform 133.

At time t4, the boost activation signal can be switched from low tohigh, which causes the energy storage starts to be charged by the PSU ofthe server system. In this example, the energy storage is charged by acapacitor current Ic provided the PSU of the server system, theoperating current of the processing components drops to a currentIcharging at time t4, and the voltage differential over the energystorage of the server system ramps up from the second voltage to thefirst voltage.

At time t5, the energy storage is fully charged, which causes thecapacitor current to be reduced to a low current under a normaloperation I0 and causes the operating current of the processingcomponents to be reduced to a current under the normal operation Iop.

One of ordinary skilled in the art will appreciate that waveformdiagrams in FIG. 1B are for illustration purpose only. It may take aperiod of time for a signal to change from high to low or from low tohigh (e.g., a certain delay for the boost activation signal to changefrom high to low or low to time). And there may be delay for one signalto react to changes in another signal. For example, there may be a delayfor the voltage differential over the energy storage of the serversystem to ramp down from the first voltage in response to the boostactivation signal dropping from high to low.

The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles andvarious embodiments of the present technology. Numerous variations andmodifications will become apparent once the above disclosure is fullyappreciated.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method of boosting power supplies of aserver system in accordance with an implementation of the presenttechnology. It should be understood that the exemplary method 200 ispresented solely for illustrative purposes and that in other methods inaccordance with the present technology can include additional, fewer, oralternative steps performed in similar or alternative orders, or inparallel.

The exemplary method 200 starts with boosting an output voltage of apower supply unit (PSU) of a computing system to a higher voltage, atstep 210. The PSU is configured to supply powers to various component ofthe computing system and/or to charge an energy storage (e.g., a buffercapacitor) of the computing system. In some implementations, the outputvoltage of the PSU is boosted by a boost component that is connected tothe PSU.

At step 220, the energy storage can be charged under the increased DCvoltage. In some implementations, the energy storage is connected to anoutput terminal of the boost component, as illustrated in FIG. 1A. Someembodiments monitor processing demands of the computing system, statusof components and/or connection status of the computing system. Adetermination can be made whether a boost mode is required to supportprocessing demands of the computing system, at step 230.

In response to determining that a boost mode is required to support theprocessing demands of the computing system, the energy storage can becaused to be discharged during a period of the boost mode, at step 240.In some embodiments, in response to determining that a boost mode isneeded, an energy storage can supply stored electrical energy to othercomponents of the computing system. In some implementations, supplyingstored electrical energy can cause a voltage differential over theenergy storage to be reduced from a first voltage to a second voltage.

In some embodiments, in response to determining that a boost mode isneeded or detecting a component being a bottleneck in processingpipelines of the computing system, a boost activation signal can begenerated. The boost activation signal can cause a CPU, the bottleneckcomponent, or another component of the computing system to operate undera higher clock speed such that a higher processing capacity can beachieved.

At step 250, the boost mode ends. The energy storage can be charged bythe PSU of the computing system. The voltage differential over theenergy storage can be ramped up to the first voltage.

TERMINOLOGIES

A computer network is a geographically distributed collection of nodesinterconnected by communication links and segments for transporting databetween endpoints, such as personal computers and workstations. Manytypes of networks are available, with the types ranging from local areanetworks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) to overlay andsoftware-defined networks, such as virtual extensible local areanetworks (VXLANs).

LANs typically connect nodes over dedicated private communications linkslocated in the same general physical location, such as a building orcampus. WANs, on the other hand, typically connect geographicallydispersed nodes over long-distance communications links, such as commoncarrier telephone lines, optical lightpaths, synchronous opticalnetworks (SONET), or synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) links. LANs andWANs can include layer 2 (L2) and/or layer 3 (L3) networks and devices.

The Internet is an example of a WAN that connects disparate networksthroughout the world, providing global communication between nodes onvarious networks. The nodes typically communicate over the network byexchanging discrete frames or packets of data according to predefinedprotocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP). In this context, a protocol can refer to a set of rulesdefining how the nodes interact with each other. Computer networks canbe further interconnected by an intermediate network node, such as arouter, to extend the effective “size” of each network.

Overlay networks generally allow virtual networks to be created andlayered over a physical network infrastructure. Overlay networkprotocols, such as Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN), NetworkVirtualization using Generic Routing Encapsulation (NVGRE), NetworkVirtualization Overlays (NVO3), and Stateless Transport Tunneling (STT),provide a traffic encapsulation scheme which allows network traffic tobe carried across L2 and L3 networks over a logical tunnel. Such logicaltunnels can be originated and terminated through virtual tunnel endpoints (VTEPs).

Moreover, overlay networks can include virtual segments, such as VXLANsegments in a VXLAN overlay network, which can include virtual L2 and/orL3 overlay networks over which VMs communicate. The virtual segments canbe identified through a virtual network identifier (VNI), such as aVXLAN network identifier, which can specifically identify an associatedvirtual segment or domain.

Network virtualization allows hardware and software resources to becombined in a virtual network. For example, network virtualization canallow multiple numbers of VMs to be attached to the physical network viarespective virtual LANs (VLANs). The VMs can be grouped according totheir respective VLAN, and can communicate with other VMs as well asother devices on the internal or external network.

Network segments, such as physical or virtual segments, networks,devices, ports, physical or logical links, and/or traffic in general canbe grouped into a bridge or flood domain. A bridge domain or flooddomain can represent a broadcast domain, such as an L2 broadcast domain.A bridge domain or flood domain can include a single subnet, but canalso include multiple subnets. Moreover, a bridge domain can beassociated with a bridge domain interface on a network device, such as aswitch. A bridge domain interface can be a logical interface whichsupports traffic between an L2 bridged network and an L3 routed network.In addition, a bridge domain interface can support internet protocol(IP) termination, VPN termination, address resolution handling, MACaddressing, etc. Both bridge domains and bridge domain interfaces can beidentified by a same index or identifier.

Furthermore, endpoint groups (EPGs) can be used in a network for mappingapplications to the network. In particular, EPGs can use a grouping ofapplication endpoints in a network to apply connectivity and policy tothe group of applications. EPGs can act as a container for buckets orcollections of applications, or application components, and tiers forimplementing forwarding and policy logic. EPGs also allow separation ofnetwork policy, security, and forwarding from addressing by insteadusing logical application boundaries.

Cloud computing can also be provided in one or more networks to providecomputing services using shared resources. Cloud computing can generallyinclude Internet-based computing in which computing resources aredynamically provisioned and allocated to client or user computers orother devices on-demand, from a collection of resources available viathe network (e.g., “the cloud”). Cloud computing resources, for example,can include any type of resource, such as computing, storage, andnetwork devices, virtual machines (VMs), etc. For instance, resourcescan include service devices (firewalls, deep packet inspectors, trafficmonitors, load balancers, etc.), compute/processing devices (servers,CPU's, memory, brute force processing capability), storage devices(e.g., network attached storages, storage area network devices), etc. Inaddition, such resources can be used to support virtual networks,virtual machines (VM), databases, applications (Apps), etc.

Cloud computing resources can include a “private cloud,” a “publiccloud,” and/or a “hybrid cloud.” A “hybrid cloud” can be a cloudinfrastructure composed of two or more clouds that inter-operate orfederate through technology. In essence, a hybrid cloud is aninteraction between private and public clouds where a private cloudjoins a public cloud and utilizes public cloud resources in a secure andscalable manner. Cloud computing resources can also be provisioned viavirtual networks in an overlay network, such as a VXLAN.

In a network switch system, a lookup database can be maintained to keeptrack of routes between a number of end points attached to the switchsystem. However, end points can have various configurations and areassociated with numerous tenants. These end-points can have varioustypes of identifiers, e.g., IPv4, IPv6, or Layer-2. The lookup databasehas to be configured in different modes to handle different types ofend-point identifiers. Some capacity of the lookup database is carvedout to deal with different address types of incoming packets. Further,the lookup database on the network switch system is typically limited by1K virtual routing and forwarding (VRFs). Therefore, an improved lookupalgorithm is desired to handle various types of end-point identifiers.The disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for addresslookups in a telecommunications network. Disclosed are systems, methods,and computer-readable storage media for unifying various types ofend-point identifiers by mapping end-point identifiers to a uniformspace and allowing different forms of lookups to be uniformly handled. Abrief introductory description of example systems and networks, asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, is disclosed herein. These variationsshall be described herein as the various examples are set forth. Thetechnology now turns to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example computing device 300 suitable forimplementing the present technology. Computing device 300 includes amaster central processing unit (CPU) 362, interfaces 368, and a bus 315(e.g., a PCI bus). When acting under the control of appropriate softwareor firmware, the CPU 362 is responsible for executing packet management,error detection, and/or routing functions, such as miscabling detectionfunctions, for example. The CPU 362 preferably accomplishes all thesefunctions under the control of software including an operating systemand any appropriate applications software. CPU 362 can include one ormore processors 363 such as a processor from the Motorola family ofmicroprocessors or the MIPS family of microprocessors. In an alternativeembodiment, processor 363 is specially designed hardware for controllingthe operations of the computing device 300. In a specific embodiment, amemory 361 (such as non-volatile RAM and/or ROM) also forms part of CPU362. However, there are many different ways in which memory could becoupled to the system.

The interfaces 368 are typically provided as interface cards (sometimesreferred to as “line cards”). Generally, they control the sending andreceiving of data packets over the network and sometimes support otherperipherals used with the computing device 300. Among the interfacesthat can be provided are Ethernet interfaces, frame relay interfaces,cable interfaces, DSL interfaces, token ring interfaces, and the like.In addition, various very high-speed interfaces can be provided such asfast token ring interfaces, wireless interfaces, Ethernet interfaces,Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, ATM interfaces, HSSI interfaces, POSinterfaces, FDDI interfaces and the like. Generally, these interfacescan include ports appropriate for communication with the appropriatemedia. In some cases, they can also include an independent processorand, in some instances, volatile RAM. The independent processors cancontrol such communications intensive tasks as packet switching, mediacontrol and management. By providing separate processors for thecommunications intensive tasks, these interfaces allow the mastermicroprocessor 362 to efficiently perform routing computations, networkdiagnostics, security functions, etc.

Although the system shown in FIG. 3 is one specific computing device ofthe present technology, it is by no means the only network devicearchitecture on which the present invention can be implemented. Forexample, an architecture having a single processor that handlescommunications as well as routing computations, etc. is often used.Further, other types of interfaces and media could also be used with therouter.

Regardless of the network device's configuration, it can employ one ormore memories or memory modules (including memory 361) configured tostore program instructions for the general-purpose network operationsand mechanisms for roaming, route optimization and routing functionsdescribed herein. The program instructions can control the operation ofan operating system and/or one or more applications, for example. Thememory or memories can also be configured to store tables such asmobility binding, registration, and association tables, etc.

FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4B illustrate example possible systems in accordancewith various aspects of the present technology. The more appropriateembodiment will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art whenpracticing the present technology. Persons of ordinary skill in the artwill also readily appreciate that other system examples are possible.

FIG. 4A illustrates a conventional system bus computing systemarchitecture 400 wherein the components of the system are in electricalcommunication with each other using a bus 405. Example system 400includes a processing unit (CPU or processor) 410 and a system bus 405that couples various system components including the system memory 415,such as read only memory (ROM) 420 and random access memory (RAM) 425,to the processor 410. The system 400 can include a cache of high-speedmemory connected directly with, in close proximity to, or integrated aspart of the processor 410. The system 400 can copy data from the memory415 and/or the storage device 430 to the cache 412 for quick access bythe processor 410. In this way, the cache can provide a performanceboost that avoids processor 410 delays while waiting for data. These andother modules can control or be configured to control the processor 410to perform various actions. Other system memory 415 can be available foruse as well. The memory 415 can include multiple different types ofmemory with different performance characteristics. The processor 410 caninclude any general purpose processor and a hardware module or softwaremodule, such as module 432, module 434, and module 436 stored in storagedevice 430, configured to control the processor 410 as well as aspecial-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporatedinto the actual processor design. The processor 410 can essentially be acompletely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores orprocessors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processorcan be symmetric or asymmetric.

To enable user interaction with the computing device 400, an inputdevice 445 can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as amicrophone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphicalinput, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and so forth. An outputdevice 435 can also be one or more of a number of output mechanismsknown to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multimodalsystems can enable a user to provide multiple types of input tocommunicate with the computing device 400. The communications interface440 can generally govern and manage the user input and system output.There is no restriction on operating on any particular hardwarearrangement and therefore the basic features here can easily besubstituted for improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they aredeveloped.

Storage device 430 is a non-volatile memory and can be a hard disk orother types of computer readable media which can store data that areaccessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges,random access memories (RAMs) 425, read only memory (ROM) 420, andhybrids thereof.

The storage device 430 can include software modules 432, 434, 436 forcontrolling the processor 410. Other hardware or software modules arecontemplated. The storage device 430 can be connected to the system bus405. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs a particularfunction can include the software component stored in acomputer-readable medium in connection with the necessary hardwarecomponents, such as the processor 410, bus 405, output device 435 (e.g.,a display), and so forth, to carry out the function.

FIG. 4B illustrates a computer system 450 having a chipset architecturethat can be used in executing the described method and generating anddisplaying a graphical user interface (GUI). Computer system 450 is anexample of computer hardware, software, and firmware that can be used toimplement the disclosed technology. System 450 can include a processor455, representative of any number of physically and/or logicallydistinct resources capable of executing software, firmware, and hardwareconfigured to perform identified computations. Processor 455 cancommunicate with a chipset 460 that can control input to and output fromprocessor 455. In this example, chipset 460 outputs information tooutput 465, such as a display, and can read and write information tostorage device 470, which can include magnetic media, and solid statemedia, for example. Chipset 460 can also read data from and write datato RAM 475. A bridge 480 for interfacing with a variety of userinterface components 485 can be provided for interfacing with chipset460. Such user interface components 485 can include a keyboard, amicrophone, touch detection and processing circuitry, a pointing device,such as a mouse, and so on. In general, inputs to system 450 can comefrom any of a variety of sources, machine generated and/or humangenerated.

Chipset 460 can also interface with one or more communication interfaces590 that can have different physical interfaces. Such communicationinterfaces can include interfaces for wired and wireless local areanetworks, for broadband wireless networks, as well as personal areanetworks. Some applications of the methods for generating, displaying,and using the GUI disclosed herein can include receiving ordereddatasets over the physical interface or be generated by the machineitself by processor 455 analyzing data stored in storage 470 or RAM 475.Further, the machine can receive inputs from a user via user interfacecomponents 485 and execute appropriate functions, such as browsingfunctions by interpreting these inputs using processor 455.

It can be appreciated that example systems 400 and 450 can have morethan one processor 410 or be part of a group or cluster of computingdevices networked together to provide greater processing capability.

For clarity of explanation, in some instances the present technology canbe presented as including individual functional blocks includingfunctional blocks comprising devices, device components, steps orroutines in a method embodied in software, or combinations of hardwareand software.

In some examples, the computer-readable storage devices, mediums, andmemories can include a cable or wireless signal containing a bit streamand the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readablestorage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals,electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

Methods according to the above-described examples can be implementedusing computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwiseavailable from computer readable media. Such instructions can comprise,for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purposeprocessing device to perform a certain function or group of functions.Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network.The computer executable instructions can be, for example, binaries,intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, orsource code. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used tostore instructions, information used, and/or information created duringmethods according to described examples include magnetic or opticaldisks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory,networked storage devices, and so on.

Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures can comprisehardware, firmware and/or software, and can take any of a variety ofform factors. Typical examples of such form factors include laptops,smart phones, small form factor personal computers, personal digitalassistants, and so on. Functionality described herein also can beembodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality can also beimplemented on a circuit board among different chips or differentprocesses executing in a single device, by way of further example.

The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computingresources for executing them, and other structures for supporting suchcomputing resources are means for providing the functions described inthese disclosures.

Various aspects of the present technology provide systems and methodsfor providing additional power supplies to a server system during aboost mode. While specific examples have been cited above showing howthe optional operation can be employed in different instructions, otherexamples can incorporate the optional operation into differentinstructions. For clarity of explanation, in some instances the presenttechnology can be presented as including individual functional blocksincluding functional blocks comprising devices, device components, stepsor routines in a method embodied in software, or combinations ofhardware and software.

The various examples can be further implemented in a wide variety ofoperating environments, which in some cases can include one or moreserver computers, user computers or computing devices which can be usedto operate any of a number of applications. User or client devices caninclude any of a number of general purpose personal computers, such asdesktop or laptop computers running a standard operating system, as wellas cellular, wireless and handheld devices running mobile software andcapable of supporting a number of networking and messaging protocols.Such a system can also include a number of workstations running any of avariety of commercially-available operating systems and other knownapplications for purposes such as development and database management.These devices can also include other electronic devices, such as dummyterminals, thin-clients, gaming systems and other devices capable ofcommunicating via a network.

To the extent examples, or portions thereof, are implemented inhardware, the present invention can be implemented with any or acombination of the following technologies: a discrete logic circuit(s)having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon data signals,an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriatecombinational logic gates, programmable hardware such as a programmablegate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

Most examples utilize at least one network that would be familiar tothose skilled in the art for supporting communications using any of avariety of commercially-available protocols, such as TCP/IP, OSI, FTP,UPnP, NFS, CIFS, AppleTalk etc. The network can be, for example, a localarea network, a wide-area network, a virtual private network, theInternet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephone network,an infrared network, a wireless network and any combination thereof.

Methods according to the above-described examples can be implementedusing computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwiseavailable from computer readable media. Such instructions can comprise,for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purposeprocessing device to perform a certain function or group of functions.Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network.The computer executable instructions can be, for example, binaries,intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, orsource code. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used tostore instructions, information used, and/or information created duringmethods according to described examples include magnetic or opticaldisks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory,networked storage devices, and so on.

Devices implementing methods according to these technology can comprisehardware, firmware and/or software, and can take any of a variety ofform factors. Typical examples of such form factors include servercomputers, laptops, smart phones, small form factor personal computers,personal digital assistants, and so on. Functionality described hereinalso can be embodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionalitycan also be implemented on a circuit board among different chips ordifferent processes executing in a single device, by way of furtherexample.

In examples utilizing a Web server, the Web server can run any of avariety of server or mid-tier applications, including HTTP servers, FTPservers, CGI servers, data servers, Java servers and businessapplication servers. The server(s) can also be capable of executingprograms or scripts in response requests from user devices, such as byexecuting one or more Web applications that can be implemented as one ormore scripts or programs written in any programming language, such asJava®, C, C# or C++ or any scripting language, such as Pert, Python orTCL, as well as combinations thereof. The server(s) can also includedatabase servers, including without limitation those commerciallyavailable from open market.

The server farm can include a variety of data stores and other memoryand storage media as discussed above. These can reside in a variety oflocations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) oneor more of the computers or remote from any or all of the computersacross the network. In a particular set of examples, the information canreside in a storage-area network (SAN) familiar to those skilled in theart. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers, servers or other network devices can bestored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate. Where a system includescomputerized devices, each such device can include hardware elementsthat can be electrically coupled via a bus, the elements including, forexample, at least one central processing unit (CPU), at least one inputdevice (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, controller, touch-sensitive displayelement or keypad) and at least one output device (e.g., a displaydevice, printer or speaker). Such a system can also include one or morestorage devices, such as disk drives, optical storage devices andsolid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) orread-only memory (ROM), as well as removable media devices, memorycards, flash cards, etc.

Such devices can also include a computer-readable storage media reader,a communications device (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless orwired), an infrared computing device) and working memory as describedabove. The computer-readable storage media reader can be connected with,or configured to receive, a computer-readable storage mediumrepresenting remote, local, fixed and/or removable storage devices aswell as storage media for temporarily and/or more permanentlycontaining, storing, transmitting and retrieving computer-readableinformation. The system and various devices also typically will includea number of software applications, modules, services or other elementslocated within at least one working memory device, including anoperating system and application programs such as a client applicationor Web browser. It should be appreciated that alternate examples canhave numerous variations from that described above. For example,customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements mightbe implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, suchas applets) or both. Further, connection to other computing devices suchas network input/output devices can be employed.

Storage media and computer readable media for containing code, orportions of code, can include any appropriate media known or used in theart, including storage media and computing media, such as but notlimited to volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage and/or transmissionof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data, including RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD)or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other medium whichcan be used to store the desired information and which can be accessedby a system device. Based on the technology and teachings providedherein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other waysand/or methods to implement the various aspects of the presenttechnology.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes can be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing system, comprising: an energystorage; a power supply unit (PSU) configured to supply power tocomponents of the computing system; a boost component configured toboost an output voltage of the PSU to a higher voltage; and a controllerconfigured to: cause the energy storage to be charged by the highervoltage; in response to detecting a bottleneck component in processingpipelines of the computing system, generate a boost activation signal,wherein the boost activation signal causes the bottleneck component ofthe computing system to operate under a higher clock speed than a clockspeed of a normal operation; determine to switch the computing system toa boost mode to support additional power demand of the bottleneckcomponent; and cause the energy storage to be discharged during theboost mode.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to monitor the processing demands of the computing systemand/or status of the components of the computing system.
 3. The systemof claim 2, wherein the boost activation signal causes the energystorage to be discharged to supply stored electrical energy to thecomponents of the computing system, supplying stored electrical energystorage causing a voltage differential over the energy storage to bereduced from a first voltage to a second voltage.
 4. The system of claim3, wherein the controller is configured to: determine the boost modebeing ended; and cause the energy storage to be charged by the PSU ofthe computing system.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controlleris configured to: in response to detecting that the components of thecomputing system enter the boost mode or consume power exceeding athreshold power value, generate a processor hot signal.
 6. The system ofclaim 5, wherein the processor hot signal is generated only when thecomponents of the computing system consume power exceeding the thresholdpower value over a predetermined period of time.
 7. The system of claim6, wherein the processor hot signal causes additional cooling to beapplied to at least one of the at least one processor, memory, oranother component of the computing system.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein the processor hot signal causes more power to be supplied to oneor more cooling components of the computing system, the one or morecooling components including at least one fan, or at least one liquidcooling component.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor hotsignal activates a CPU thermal control circuit that is configured toprotect the at least one processor and/or another component of thecomputing system against excessive temperatures.
 10. The system of claim9, wherein the CPU thermal control circuit is configured to cause powerto the at least one processor and/or the another component of thecomputing system to be reduced or completely removed in response todetecting an excessive temperature or a temperature exceeding a highthreshold temperature.
 11. A computer-implemented method for supportinga boost mode in a computing system, comprising: causing an outputvoltage of a power supply unit (PSU) of the computing system to beboosted to a higher voltage; causing an energy storage of the computingsystem to be charged under the higher voltage; in response to detectinga bottleneck component in processing pipelines of the computing system,generating a boost activation signal, wherein the boost activationsignal causes the bottleneck component of the computing system tooperate under a higher clock speed than a clock speed of a normaloperation; determining to switch the computing system to the boost modeto support additional power demand of the bottleneck component; andcausing the energy storage to be discharged during the boost mode. 12.The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:monitoring the processing demands of the computing system and/or statusof the components of the computing system.
 13. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 12, further comprising: causing the energy storage to bedischarged to provide stored electrical energy to the computing system.14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:determining the boost mode being ended; and causing the energy storageto be charged by the PSU of the computing system.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium including instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one processor of a computing system, cause thecomputing system to: cause an output voltage of a power supply unit(PSU) of the computing system to be boosted to a higher voltage; causean energy storage of the computing system to be charged under the highervoltage; in response to detecting a bottleneck component in processingpipelines of the computing system, generate a boost activation signal,wherein the boost activation signal causes the bottleneck component ofthe computing system to operate under a higher clock speed than a clockspeed of a normal operation; determine to switch the computing system toa boost mode to support additional power demand of the bottleneckcomponent; and cause the energy storage to be discharged during theboost mode.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the instructions when executed further cause thesystem to: in response to detecting that the computing system enters theboost mode or consumes power exceeding a threshold power value, generatea processor hot signal.